Eight Words
by thatonegreenpencil
Summary: Eight words. All it took to flip a life around and destroy it from the inside. All it took to save myself. Tiny bit of slash. AU one-shot.


**A/N Just a random little thing I came up with. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine.**

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><p>"What if everything you knew, was a lie?"<p>

The blond stares at the other boy, blinks, and rubs his ears. "Sorry, must've heard you wrong. What was that?"

Jade eyes are still piercing into blue, holding a perfect gaze. "I said, what if everything you knew was a _lie_?"

"This isn't one of your psychological questions, is it?" Naruto asks, but gets no reply. Just more staring and silence.

Naruto rolls his eyes, knowing that Kiba or some other person must've set the redhead up to this. "Well, that must mean everyone here is a _really_ good actor," He jokes, playing along. "I mean, they've kept up the act for _six years,_ ever since I came here when I was ten. Well, seven, if you count the birthday coming up soon."

Gaara shakes his head. "No Naruto. They aren't acting; you're just lying to yourself. That this," Pale hands gesture to everything around them. "Is real."

Naruto rolls his eyes once, twice, and a third time (for emphasis) and snorts. "Kiba must've promised something good this time. Way to sell it there, Gaara," He plays with a loose strand of hair, not really paying any attention to the redhead. "You would be fake too. I don't want that."

"But it's true," Gaara insists, grabbing Naruto's wrist and holding it there, in mid-air. It's like they are frozen in time for a moment, before the blond yanks his arm away, breaking the spell.

"But seriously, don't waste my time when I'm in a hurry," Naruto turns away from the jade orbs, and starts to walk away. "Mom's gonna be so mad…"

Behind him, Naruto can hear Gaara calling, "Do you even know what your parents' names are?"

The blond swipes the doubt away, but there's still a smudge of it left in the back of his mind.

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><p>Naruto runs over to the field, panting. Immediately, a black haired boy runs up to him and scowls. "You're late Naruto!"<p>

"S-Sorry!" He grins, which is his only defense mechanism for now. Luckily, it works. Kiba's glare and scowl get softer.

"Do you want a drink of water?"

"That would b-be great," Naruto grins, and takes Kiba's hand. "It's practically your fault that I'm late you know."

Kiba frowns. "And why is that _my_ fault?"

"Gaara chose the most stupid time to come up and fulfill his- _your-_ bet. But let me tell you, he was persistent. What did you offer him?"

There is a moment of confusion on Kiba's eyes, before he breaks into a grin. "Ah, I see. You're pulling me leg," He chuckles. "You have an overload of energy, don't you? Even after-"

"Wait, what?" Naruto pauses in the walk to the water fountain. "What are you talking about?"

"What are _you_ talking about?" Kiba counters, letting go of Naruto. "It's funny and all, but it gets old, you know."

The truth dawns on Naruto's features. "W-Wait, are you saying that… You don't know Gaara?"

"Of course I don't. He's probably just a figure in your_ imagination_." Kiba says, making a fake rainbow over his head while he says 'imagination'. He produces a dog-like laugh to himself, and grins.

"But Gaara's been your friend for… two years, now!" The blond exclaims. "Are you saying that you forgot all about him?"

"Then describe this, 'Gaara', for me." The brown-haired boy says calmly, smirking.

"Well…"

There's a pause. And then a flurry of panic. His brain is searching, trying to remember…

Gaara?

"I… I can't remember."

The brunette rolls his eyes. "It's not healthy to see things, Naruto."

"Hey, you two!" Coach Kakashi is calling them from the stands, that are currently empty. "Get over here! We've got a practice, if you haven't noticed!"

The hint of doubt, growing…

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><p>The familiar 'unknown dialer' ringtone vibrates from Naruto's phone as he's walking back home. He picks it up, cheerfully saying, "Hello? Who's this?"<p>

A deadpan voice responds from the other end of the line.

"Do you remember how you first got here?"

There's a click, and the line is dead.

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><p>When Naruto arrives home, there's a warm dinner waiting for him, not on a silver platter, but does that really deny that the food is absolutely delicious? His mother smiles, and teases him that he's going to become a pig someday. He says, in mock hurt, "What? I hope you're not going to eat me,"<p>

In which he gets a response that sounds something like, "I probably will!" And then his mother starts to tickle him, making him bust into fits of laughter. Maybe he's too old for this, but Naruto never gets tired of this little teasing.

It makes him feel… Loved. Yes, that's the word. Loved.

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><p>"You don't remember me, do you?"<p>

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><p>Naruto's never had nightmares before, until now.<p>

There are broken up images of a pink-haired girl, laughing and laughing along with a black haired boy, who is scowling. Flashes of a giant hunk of metal, flying, flying…

And then he wakes up. He always wakes up.

What happened… Afterwards?

Naruto tries to remember. He tries to remember the days before Kiba, and Ino, and Shikamaru. The days before the soccer team, before the Kohona school district.

He can't.

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><p>The blond makes various attempts to figure out who this caller is. Always the same time everyday (11:00 PM) the voice asks a question that always makes Naruto dive deeper and deeper into his memories. No prevail.<p>

"Do you remember how you got here?"

"Have you ever seen a baby picture of yourself?"

"Have you ever been hurt before?"

To all of these questions, the answer is no. Always.

And it scares him.

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><p>Naruto is at the end of the hallway. Again.<p>

He is face-to-face with a boy with jade eyes and a red shock of hair on top of his head. Very pale skin, pale, pale…

"Do you remember?" He asks, leaning in close, almost touching the blond's face with his own. Naruto steps back, and looks away.

"No, I don't."

"I wish you did."

Another step closer. "I need you to save me."

Naruto runs, because he's too afraid to do anything else.

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><p>More dreams. Dreams of white flashes reflecting off of metal surface, zipping toward him. Then darkness.<p>

He can't remember his first day in Kohona, nor his second day. All he knows that they are there, and they happened. Same for all the other days. He can't remember, but… They are there.

Right?

Naruto wishes someone could agree.

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><p>Kiba, Ino, Shikamaru… They are all concerned. For him. They get concerned when he starts telling them about the dreams he have, the red haired boy, the calls…<p>

"Naruto, you're okay right?"

"If there's anything you need…"

"You can tell us anything. You know that, right?"

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><p>One night, the calls stop.<p>

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><p>There they are, alone at the end of the hallway once more. The redhead is silent, more than ever. Almost as if he's fading away.<p>

"Tell me what's happening! Why did you stop?"

Jade orbs meet blue.

_This has happened before. _Naruto thinks.

"No Naruto, you tell _me._"

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><p>The dreams, they're getting clearer now. He remembers the voice of a bell-like thing, saying, "Be careful on the road, it's slippery."<p>

Too late.

He remembers his one last thought.

_Am I dying?_

This time, blue eyes meet jade.

"I remember."

Gaara smiles for the first time. "Good. Now run."

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><p>The darkness is closing in, just as six years ago. But this time, Naruto is running ahead of it, with Gaara leading the way.<p>

He doesn't think about how cold Gaara's hand is, no time to think about the friends left behind. Just _run._

Together, they climb up what seems like a thousand steps to heaven. A white light, pouring in, slicing through the darkness.

Gaara faces him. "When you get out, jump up from your hospital bed, and ignore the nurse who comes after you. Make a sharp right at the first intersection and run down two sets of stairs. Don't keep going. Make a left, and then a right," A pause. "You'll find me there."

Naruto remembers his lips meeting another when he wakes up.

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><p>He blinks, trying to make sense of his surroundings. It's all white, with a picture frame beside his bed. He experimentally tries to move one of his fingers. It's a weird sensation, but he does it.<p>

Outside, there are voices. One sobbing.

"Sakura-san, it's been six years. There's just no hope for him, and we need the room for other patients. The government has stopped his funding. They're cutting him off."

A sob. "J-Just let me see him. O-One last time." The voice is cut off repeatedly by sobs.

"…Fine."

The door opens, and a flash of pink is now visible against the white.

"Sa…kura?" Naruto says, his voice hoarse and throat cracking. But he can speak. That alone is a miracle.

Sakura rubs her eyes and blinks, before screaming, "_Naruto!"_ and hugging him fiercely. A doctor comes in, blinking.

"Wha-What-"

Naruto and Sakura stay like that for a few minutes, one hugging and crying, another silently accepting that he is back. Back from the six-year coma.

'_You'll find me there…'_

He pushes Sakura away, and runs. Both the doctor and his friend shout to come back, but he pays them no mind. He's got a job to do.

He trips over his feet many times, almost falling over once or twice, since his legs aren't developed or used to the sense of running. But he tries. He has to try.

Naruto is following the directions. He runs past a nurse. He runs past various rooms, holding various patients. He passes a sign labeled, "Brain Misfunctions".

And there he is.

The same shock of red hair is the same, and so are the jade eyes that betray no emotion. But there is a bit of panic when he sees Naruto burst into the room.

The doctor next to him jumps up instinctively. "Now see here young man-" But a pale hand grabs onto white.

"No." He whispers. "Get out."

The doctor leaves (weirdly), leaving the two of them alone.

Blue clashes with jade once more.

Naruto smiles, and holds out his hand. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. You?"

There is a short silence, before the other boy answers.

"Sabaku Gaara."

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><p><strong>AN Please leave a review! I'd like to hear what you think happened to Naruto. **


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